Getting out and about

Welcome to this new section of the Love’s Farm website to highlight some local visitor attractions. Moving to a new county can be quite daunting, you don’t know where to go for a nice walk, know where to find a nice tea shop, or in our case, where to take our dog (Sailor) for a nice walk. There is only one thing for it, to get out and about and explore the area. Our boundary, 1 hours drive from Loves Farm. There are some gems just waiting to be explored. If you have any suggestions of places to explore and mention on this website, please let keela.shackell@ourlovesfarm.co.uk know.

November - Cambridge bus tour, Eltisley and Harry Potter Studios

Cambridge bus tour

Have you tried the Cambridge bus tour? It costs £14 for the hop on/ hop off tour. Take a look online for discounts before booking your tickets. Stops include lots of colleges, the mathematical bridge, the garden centre, American cemetery etc.

Eltisley

A lovely walk can be found through woodland and the village of Elistey. A great village feel, ornate church and a village green. Great for walking the dogs on an afternoon.

Harry Potter studios

A nightmare to get to by public transport, but pretty quick by car. It’s not cheap (£29 per adult) but worth it for any Harry Potter fans. You walk through the various sets such as the great hall and Diagon Alley. You also get the chance to taste a butter beer (£2.50) and ride a broom. The photographs and DVDs of you flying a broom are from £12 upwards. You can easily spend 3 hours plus in the studios.

October - St Ives guided bus, Wimpole estate, Marston Vale

St Ives guided bus

The Busway goes through Huntingdon, St Ives, Cambridge and Trumpington. http://www.thebusway.info/ . You can park in the park and ride in St Ives and it’s a short walk to the bus stop. Anywhere between St Ives and Cambridge costs £5. Alas dogs aren’t allowed on the guided bus, a word of warning, it can get very busy on weekends. Why not take afternoon tea in Harriets tea rooms when you get to Cambridge. http://harrietscafetearooms.co.uk/cambridge-city-centre-tearooms/

Wimpole Estate

The Wimpole Estate isn’t too far from Loves Farm. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate/ It’s a National Trust property, £15 per adult. Children are given an activity sheet to complete to keep them entertained around the house. The library holds 10,000 books and the dining room is pretty astounding. The price of the ticket includes entrance to Home Farm to see piglets, Highland cows, Shetland ponies and donkeys. To note, the price of the car park isn’t included in the cost of the ticket.

Marston Vale

Just the other side of Bedford, Marston Vale is a treat. Free to park, lots of circular walks around the lakes, it’s a great place to cycle, walk with dogs etc.

July - Brampton Wood, Priory Park Bedford, Wandlebury Park

Brampton Wood

(18 minute drive) is the second largest ancient woodland in Cambridgeshire (+900 years old). I do love a bit of free parking. The car park has space for about 10 cars, but it's better than nothing and just off the A1. We followed the perimeter walk that took about 1.5 hours, but only saw 4 people on route which is always a bonus. At the start of the walk you will find a hut containing leaflets and maps.

Priory Park, Bedford.

(25 minute drive)- is just a mile outside Bedford but it feels like you are in the middle of the countryside. 360 acres, it has a large fishing lake with gravel walk surrounding it. I prefer gravel. It's a nice circuit, there was a windsurfer on the lake covered head to toe in wetsuit and hundreds of dog walkers. We passed the old Franciscan Priory walll, rebuilt after the Priory was destroyed. A nice walk, free parking.

Wandlebury Park

On the edge of Cambridge. 110 acres of woodland and chalk. Only problem with the park is that there are no maps except at the entrance, nor any poo bins. However, it had plenty of trails and you can't get too lost. We walked by a gorgeous building. We were pretty much on our own for the entire walk.

Fermyn Woods Country Park

(45 minute drive) Fermyn Woods Country Park is in the heart of Rockingham Fore st in Northamptonshire. We love the Northamptonshire website, each country park has a downloadable map and clear signs. It's worth the 45 minute drive to get there. Fermyn Woods has a lot in a small space, and is quite understated on the website. There is a cafe, a huge adventure play area for children and some gorgeous trails that are clearly marked. £2.50 for car parking again but today I think it's worth it.

Irchester Country Park

(50 minutes drive) £2.50 was a bit steep. This former ironstone quarry has a wonderful children's play area as well as a network of long and short trails through 83 hectares of mixed woodland. The park is home to the Quarryman's Rest Cafe, Jungle Parc UK and the Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway museum. We walked past the quarry and viewpoint into the quarry. It has a troll bridge, multiple tree plantations, ponds, play area and café.

Gamlingay Woods

(16 minute drive) Parking on a track on the entrance, like many wildlife trust places, there is a map at the entrance but nowhere else but no matter, you just get lost trekking on the paths. It's a very well maintained woodland, shelter but a little more info as you go around would be nice. Nice and quiet though, well worth a second visit.

May – Overhall Grove, Barnwell Park and Harold Odell Country Park

Overhall Grove

(19 minute drive) the largest elm woodland in Cambridgeshire. The w oodland is the site of a medieval house and moat, which is now home to a badger family. Alas no badgers out at the time but a very pleasant walk. However, there was only one circular walk, and one footpath but it was still nice. The best bit was that it was empty, great for dog walking. To get to the woods you park in the church car park and walk down the public footpath. It looks like you are walking in someone's garden.

Barnwell Park

(43 minute drive) in the Nene Valley, just outside Peteborough has 15 hectares of meadow, rivers and lakes. £2:50 for car park, this well managed country park has abundant poo bins, always a dog owners treat. We walked around the outside of the riverside walk, luckily they had a great pdf map on their website. We did the inner route too, past an amazing adventure playground. Until last month the park had a full time shop, but cut backs has meant it has closed it's doors. But it was very pleasant, they have lots of things to do such as nature trails. One problem, it's a long way to go for only an hours walk.

Harold Odell Country Park

(42 minutes drive)- 2 lovely lakes set in 144 acres, we did the longest walk around Grebe Lake. The parking was quaint, a £1 suggest donation that you don't have to pay if you don't want to. They have their very own poo collectors, and bags on the sides of the bins! There is a gravel path around the lake that is full of swans, ducks and geese. There is a nature area, skate park, mountain biking, fishing and tea shop. It has very few people. I did like the honesty box with bird food, on a chair with a baking tray on top of it.

April – Milton Country Park, Paxton Pits and Swineshead Woods

This month’s highlights include –

Milton Country Park

(25 minute drive) Just North of Cambridge, Milton Country Park was created from old gravel pits. 95 acres of country park to explore. Good walking paths, lakes, fishing points and playgrounds. £2 to park unfortunately, but there is a lovely café and toilets in the park. They also have lots of events throughout the year.

Swineshead Woods

(29 minute drive) Great for looking at bluebells. It’s a Woodland Trust owned wood, 22 hectares of SSSI. The woods are great for dog walking as it’s quite vast and has very few people walking but it’s quite a chore to get to. We tried to enter via Kimbolton but the track is closed between October and May so we has to drive to the other end of the track where we parked, and walked up the woods. You could fit 2/3 cars in the car park but it’s free. You can walk a perimeter walk or through the woods, but there is little signage.

Paxton Pits

(12 minute drive) We took the Heron trail, 2 miles long passing lakes, a marina, gravel paths and a sand quarry. Not too many people, but the free car park was full by the time we got back. The visitor centre is open most days, serving refreshments and helpful volunteers with maps. You will also find a children’s corner and nature table.

March – Grantchester, Hinchingbrooke Park and Aspley Woods

This month’s highlights include –

Grantchester Meadows

(40 minute drive) – A very quaint village with fantastic dog walks, famous for writers such as Rupert Brooke and Virginia Wolfe. Park in the Orchard tea gardens (free), you can walk along the river into the heart of Cambridge and then back again for tea. At £10 for tea and cake for 2, the prices are steep but afternoon tea, sat on a deckchair in such a quaint village is a real treat.

Hinchingbrooke Park

(25 minute drive)– the park that has everything! A playground, a café, visitor centre, large playing fields, BBQ area, picnic benches, lakes, a woodland and even an outdoor gym. A mixture of paved footpaths and a few soggy areas but it’s a really pleasant place to walk. £2 to park.

Aspley Wood

(25 minute drive) – One of the largest woodlands in Bedfordshire, free parking but the lack of signage means you get lost pretty quickly but it doesn’t matter, it’s a dog walkers heaven, you walk for a long time without seeing anyone. Popular for biking and horse riding too.